State’s Highest Court Upholds 45-Year-Sentence for Belfast Man

The state’s highest court says a 45-year-prison sentence will stand for a man from Belfast who admitted to kidnapping and robbing a 72-year-old woman, then leaving her for dead.24-year-old Stanley Ward appealed his sentence to the Maine Supreme Court, saying it was too extreme.Ward pleaded guilty to robbing, kidnapping and trying to kill Patricia Moss in November 2009.Police say he went to Moss’s house to steal money, tied up her hands, forced her into her car, drove her to a remote camp and cut her throat.She survived and crawled to Route 137 for help.Ward was sentenced last July.In their decision, the justices said not only was the 45-year-term for Ward correct, but also commendable.